Senator Mitt Romney says he’d be “happy” to vote for most of the current field of Republican presidential candidates in next year’s election.
But there are two people he can’t support.
One is Donald Trump. Romney told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell that Trump’s election in 2024 “would be devastating for our country.”
O’Donnell asked which of the remaining candidates he liked.
“Anybody,” Romney replied. “I’d be happy to support virtually any one of the Republicans. Maybe not Vivek [Ramaswamy], but the others that are running would be acceptable to me and I’d be happy to vote for them.”
Romney, who was the Republican presidential candidate in 2012, indicated he’d be willing to cross party lines in certain cases.
“I’d be happy to vote for a number of the Democrats too,” he added without naming them. “I mean, it would be an upgrade from, in my opinion, from Donald Trump and perhaps also from Joe Biden.”
The interview aired last month, but Romney’s comments are getting renewed attention after Ramaswamy pinned the clip to his X timeline over the weekend.
“Not surprising,” he wrote.
Romney didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2016 or 2020, saying he wrote in his wife, Ann Romney, in 2016. He said earlier this month he’d likely vote for her again if 2024 is a rematch of 2020.
“It’s pretty straightforward. It’s the same thing I’ve done in the past. I’ll vote for Ann Romney, who’ll be a terrific president,” he said on CNBC.
Romney is not running for reelection next year.
See his full CBS interview below: